Anyone else having problems using Debit Cards at POS?

I make withdrawals weekly from BDB using my capitalone 360 debit card which is mastercard. i am not charged a fee. i am only able to withdraw R$500 per day. I am not having any problems using it for purchases. however most of my purchases are by credit card.

Thanks Jland, but I was asking about anyone having trouble using U.S. issued debit cards at POS.  Sounds like yours is from Banco do Brasil, yeah?  Or maybe not.  Are you saying you make these  withdrawals at Banco do Brasil ATM machines with no fee?  I haven't found any of their machines that will allow me to do that.

Do you have a Banco do Brasil account?

Hey there!
For some reason US and in my case Canadian debit/bank cards cannot be used in stores here. It's been this way for years. The only banks I found where I could withdraw cash was from HSBC and Citibank. If you want to pay using a debit card, you need to get a Brazilian bank account.
Good luck!

Thanks for the reply.  I was using my debit cards at store here in Brazil for several years now with no problems.  It's only since I returned in October this year that I started having issues.  I have Mastercard looking into it, but they can't guarantee they'll be able to solve it.  By their contract with Mastercard they are supposed to accept these cards.  They accept Mastercard credit cards, so they have to accept Mastercard debit cards just the same.

Anyway, thanks for your reponse.  I'm just waiting to see what Mastercard comes up with.

I see. Bizarre. Hope they get it sorted!

I do not have a Banco Do Brazil account. I use my US Debit card without any fees from Them or my bank.

My Debit Card works most places. I have had problems at Makro but not at an ATM. The chip has recently been added to the cards from US, maybe they are not compatible.

Jland, where do you find Banco do Brasil ATMs that do not charge a fee?  Every ATM I can find here in this area belongs to them and there is a R$24 fee every time.

The chip card works fine at ATMs.  So I doubt that is the problem.  Besides, I have been in contact with my credit union and with Mastercard.  I would think they would know if there was a problem with incompatibility.

I find the Banco Do Brazil ATM's at the bank. The 24 hour machines with multiple banks do charge.  My chip works fine at the ATM too but the card machines at different businesses are not the same. Mine doesn't work at Makro but works most other places.

I have a Paypal Master Debit card and a debit card from Ally Bank with the MasterCard logo. I also used to have a debit card from USBank with a Visa logo. The only troubles I've ever had was with Paypal and Ally blocking the cards because they thought the usage in Brazil was fraudulent. A somewhat quick Skype call to Paypal or Ally and I'm back off and running, credit or debit. I use both cards with no fees at Banco do Brasil, HSBC, and Bradesco on a regular basis, with withdrawals of up to R$1000 per day. Banco 24 Horas charges a R$24 "convenience fee" for withdrawals. .

Visa and MasterCard have, within the last year, sent out notices to retailers that they will soon be requiring all member institutions to issue cards chips and will soon stop honoring transactions with non-chipped cards. Some retailers have taken this to mean they need to stop accepting transactions with non-chipped cards now. MasterCard has informed me this change will take effect next year.

The biggest problem I've had with my cards in Brazil is that at least once a year my Paypal card is cloned and they wipe out my balance, sometimes before I can catch it. Thankfully, Paypal returns the money to me after the transactions in question clear once I call them, usually the next day.

OK Jland thanks for the info.  I have not tried the ATMs inside the BdBs.  I tried that years ago and never found one that would accept any of my cards, so I haven't tried it since.  I've just been using their machines that they have placed inside of some stores.

Mike all credit and debit cards in the US have now been repleced by chp cards.  I have no trouble using credit cards or using the debit cards at ATMs.  The problem I'm having is using the debit cards at stores for POS transactions.  The only way I can get any cash in this area is to use BdB ATMs which charge a transaction fee of R$24.  That's what I'm trying to solve. 

If I can't use the cards at POS, then I am stuck withdrawing cash and paying R$24 per transaction.  I am able to get R$1000 per transaction, and am even allowed multiple transactions per day.  But, my credit union allows me POS transactions up to US$ 10,000. 

I trluy believe that BdB has blocked these cards at POS terminals in this area so that foreigners have to use their expensive ATMs, which would be a violation of their contracts with Mastercard.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised. The problem would be proving it. I've got to get on Skype with Ally because BdB said that R$800 had surpassed my daily withdrawal limit and the Bradesco machines didn't want to read it today. "Erro de Leitura" on 8 machines. It was the first time I used it today, so I know I hadn't surpassed my $500US daily withdrawal limit.

Mike. I have not been able to get more than R$500.00 per day for quite sometime. It's not your bank account it is BDB. We inquired about it and no one gives a good answer.

I've gotten as much as R$1000 at times.The last 2 times I got R$700+.  Unfortunately I live in a smallish town that only has one Bradesco and one BdB. BdB gave me R$250 and Bradesco gave me R$300. I should have tried at lea5t R$400 at Bradesco, but the line behind me was large and growing. Now I get the expense and wasted time of another trip into town tomorrow get the rest of what I need.

I have absolutely no problem at all getting money out of BdB ATMs.  They limit me to R$1000 per transaction, but allow multiple transactions.  And it isn't a limit from my credit union.  I called them and they said US S1,000 per day at ATMs, and US $10,000 at POS. 

I have made two different transactions one after the other at BdB ATMs for a total of R$2,000 no problem.  I just hate paying that fee.

I can take up to R$2400 a day in 3 transactions. My bank would let me increase it more but limited by banks here. All my ATM fees get reimbursed by my bank. No problems here.

Have you tried using your debit card as a credit card?

That's the only way I use my Paypal card since they give me cashback every month that almost matches the foreign currency transaction fees.

The card readers simply do not read the card.  In any mode.

THe card readers are bad. "Erro da leitura"?  I get that quite a bit at Bradesco. I often have to go to BdB to make withdrawals.

No, that's not what I get.  It says, "Modo Invalido     Passe o cartão".  I seriously doubt it's a bad card reader.  Tried now in about 12 different stores around the metro area,  No difference.  In some of these stores I have stood in line watching other people use their cards with no problems.  I honestly believe BdB is blocking the card readers from reading foreign debit cards, just to force people to use their expensive ATMs.  Nothing else makes any sense.  My credit cards work fine in these same card readers.

Are you actually using BDB ATM's at their banks or are you using BDB at the 24 hour machines? I have never in 4 years had a problem reading my debit card. And I have never been assessed a charge.

Been using their ATMs in some of the grocery stores.  I tried using my denit cards inside of their banks a few years back, and none of the machines I tried would accept the cards.

BDB doesn't have ATM's in grocery stores.  You are using the 24 hour ones.  You need to try at the banks again. What happened a few years ago may not be relevant now.

The only time I'm charged for a withdrawal is at the Banco 24 Horas ATMs. Bradesco, Citi, HSBC, and BdB are the only banks where any of my cards work at the ATMs. When we lived out past the outskirts of town here, the smaller markets there refused to accept my cards because they don't have the chip.

Before the chip they just scanned mine

Yep. "E de passar."

Yes, BdB does have ATMs in grocery stores.  That's what it says on the machine.  I doubt there are any 24 hr ATMs in this area, if there were they would have to be outside, and I would never use an ATM that is not inside of a building.  Fact ! ! !  I went to the BdB this morning and tried to do what you suggested, but just as before, their machines do not recognize the cards. I also tried to use the debit cards as a credit card this morning in Macavi store.  Same result.

So . . . I have tried in the stores at POS . . . card deos not work
Tried as credit card at POS . . . card does not work
Tried in BdB branch here in my city . . . card does not work

Any other suggestions?

I have already called my credit union and my bank . . . no solution
I have spoken with Mastercard Corp. . . . no solution

Anyway, I guess I'm just screwed and have to pay the exorbitant fee.

I'll take a credit card to the store and see if that works, but I have serious doubts that will do me any good.

Ally Bank and/or Paypal.  Or look into a Capitol One card and use your bank card to pay it off monthly. You'll get cash back and no international fees.

I believe contrary to what your financial institution is telling you, there is something wrong with the connection between your bank and the machines or maybe your card.  Like Mike says consider something else. He is not having problems and I have never had problems at BDB machines.

I  just had my first problem with my card. Americanas.com.  I bought an action figure for my grandson on the 21st. They just sent me an email saying they refuse to run my card because it wasn't issued here in Brazil. Pardon the French, but I think that's pretty fucked up and a chickenshit reason to not run a card and I told them so.

Jland, I think you are incorrect, simply because I have two different debit cards.  One from my credit union, and one from HSBC Bank.  Both cards bring the exact same results from various different stores, and both cards work fine in the ATMs.  And the fact that the ATMs inside of the BdB branches have never worked for me.

Both HSBC and my credit union can find no records of any attempts to use these cards in Brazil at POS.

I've been kind of wondering why no one on this site has ever mentioned that HSBC closed all of their operations in Brazil.

Mike, I won't use Paypal because my first attempt to use paypal after arriving here in Brazil in Oct, paypal closed my account.  I spent hours with them on skype trying to resolve the situation, but they kept telling me that my account is closed for security reasons and there is no way I can regain access to the funds I have in that account.

I looked into Ally, but they only say they will reimburse ATM charges from the U.S.

What happened with the Paypal account that they thought fraud had occurred, if I may ask?

Like I said, BdB and Bradesco, i don't pay any ATM fees with my Ally account. Itau and Caixa don't accept the Ally card. I don't recall paying any fees at Citi or HSBC, either, although it's been at least 2 years since I went there. However, Ally does charge foreign transaction fees.

Mike in Sao Paolo: I understand French very well and I identify with your frustration. My wife (Brazilian) and I (American) plan to retire in Brazil down the road. I've been to Brazil 6 or 7 times since my first visit in 2001 and have become very familiar with the inconsistency, lack of professionalism and laziness one encounters when dealing with Brazilians working in government offices and banks in particular.

It would not surprise me that the person who told you your card could not be used because it was not issued in Brazil was making it up either because they don't know the facts or because they don't give a crap or a combination of both.

Mike in Sao Paolo: I understand French very well and I identify with your frustration. My wife (Brazilian) and I (American) plan to retire in Brazil down the road. I've been to Brazil 6 or 7 times since my first visit in 2001 and have become very familiar with the inconsistency, lack of professionalism and laziness one encounters when dealing with Brazilians working in government offices and banks in particular.

It would not surprise me that the person who told you your card could not be used because it was not issued in Brazil was making it up either because they don't know the facts or because they don't give a crap or a combination of both.

Don't know what happened that they closed my Paypal account.  They won't tell me anything.  They only say that because of security concerns my paypal account is closed.  I even have some money in that account and they tell me I will not be able to get my money out.  As far as I'm concerned, it's a criminal organization.  Bad thing is, I was using that account to donate to some missionaries here in Brazil, and a couple of young ladies who race wheelchairs here in Brasil.  Both of whom made it to the 2016 Summer Olympics.  Now, I don't know how I'm going to be able to do that.

I might try Ally, if I can find a phone number to talk to them, because on ther site it only says they reimburse ATM fees in the U.S. 

Thanks

ndfansince53 wrote:

It would not surprise me that the person who told you your card could not be used because it was not issued in Brazil was making it up either because they don't know the facts or because they don't give a crap or a combination of both.

It was the Lojas Americanas website where the purchase was made.